Yearly Archives: 2011


"Preparing Your Ontario Divorce Application At The Family Court – A Single Parents True Story"

ADR 101 for HOAs

We asked the public to write to us about the personal experiences that they had when trying to use the Ontario Family Court on their own. Here is Lily’s story.

I am a single mother of two, had to file for Divorce and seek full custody of my two children four years ago. My children were the ages of 1 and 4 at the time and this was my experience.

I didn’t have the means to hire a divorce lawyer so I took it upon myself to contact the Newmarket Family Court (the Ontario Family Court in my jurisdiction) to gather all the information I needed to proceed. I was told to visit the court and I will be given all the forms that I needed.

Along with not having the money to hire a lawyer, I also didn’t have a car, so I borrowed my parent’s car and drove over to the Newmarket Court with both my children in tow. I was directed to the Family Court division where I would speak to the clerk who would give me all the paperwork I needed.

It was extremely busy and I was handed a “How To” booklet along with forms so I went on my way and returned home. I went through the booklet and did my best to complete my forms and returned to the court, again borrowing a car, to file my divorce forms. I waited in the line-up for what seemed to be days only to find that I did not fill in my Ontario Divorce Application and other forms correctly.

About the author: Author Robert R. Berman B.C.L, LL.B is the principal of Berman Barristers and the founder of My Ontario Divorce. http://www.bermanbarristers.com, http://www.myontariodivorce.com.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/preparing-your-ontario-divorce-application-at-the-family-court-a-single-parents-true-story-4183304.html



Mediation Prevents Budget Drains

The Model - The Global Education Partnership Initiative

More often than not, a dispute can be traced back to some relatively minor misunderstandings, miscommunications, mistaken perceptions, and frustrated expectations that have nothing to do with legal concerns. Left unresolved, these seemingly ordinary events can escalate, positions can solidify and the problem will become a legal matter.

How many mediations uncover failures in the communications involved in the situation rather than a violation of law?

More often than not, a dispute can be traced back to some relatively minor misunderstandings, miscommunications, mistaken perceptions, and frustrated expectations that have nothing to do with legal concerns. Left unresolved, these seemingly ordinary events can escalate, positions can solidify and the problem will become a legal matter.

Mediation of all types of workplace disputes can happen at any stage in the life cycle of the conflict. Intervention via informal mediation by an impartial third party works and can easily be measured as a cost effective tool.

Any a professional mediator and human resources professional, specializing in employee relations, will tell you that human interactions set the nature of the work environment. A positive work environment is critical to productivity, business reputation, customer service excellence and, indeed, the bottom-line operating costs of any organization.

Of course, researchers have reached this conclusion as well. Therefore, business owners, managers at all levels of the organization, human resources leaders and their legal counsel all have reason to want to mitigate an organization’s exposure to conflict and disputes impacting a work group’s ability to function well.

About the author: Elizabeth A. Moreno, Esq. and Mary O’Neil, MPA are are principals of Centurion Mediation, LLC. Centurion Mediation provides quality mediation for less than 0 in the Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. Centurion Mediation specializes in Employment, Personal injury, Business Disputes, Public Entities and Real Estate.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/mediation-prevents-budget-drains-502138.html



The Steps Taken By Banks During The Connecticut Foreclosure Procedure

Civil Mediation Certificate - The National Judicial College | Judge ...

Understanding the Connecticut foreclosure process is essential if you are to mount a defense to keep your home. Knowing what to expect will help you avoid being taken advantage of by banks who may try underhanded tactics to take your home from you. While it is true that banks generally want money rather than the property, they will do whatever it takes to get what they feel rightfully belongs to them.

Connecticut allows for three types of foreclosures to take place. Judicial foreclosure is the most common process where a judge decides if the debt is owed and what happens to the home. Strict foreclosure happens when there is no equity in the home. The lender files suit for the back payments and the courts gives the borrower a set amount of time to get caught up. If the loan is not brought current then ownership of the property reverts to the bank. Foreclosure by Sale is when the lender sells the property without the benefit of court supervision.

Foreclosure by the bank will start with a notice from the lender advising you that you have thirty days to bring your loan current before they will file paper with the court. If payment is not made within this time period, they go to the next step.

To determine who all the lien holders are on the account, a title search will be conducted. All lien holders, generally whoever is listed on the loan and other financial companies with interest in the house will receive a summons notifying them that the lender is about to foreclose on the home.

You must file a mediation certificate within fifteen days of receiving the summons. It is required that all parties participate in mediation if you are eligible. If you own a single to multiple (up to four) family property and you can answer yes to the questions on the mediation form then you and the bank will go into mediation.

Although you will work with the lender through mediation to renegotiate the loan terms, the lender will continue to file papers with the court. These include a motion for a default judgment due to failure to appear which requests the judge to decide in the lender’s favor should you not appear, a motion for default judgment for failure to plead against anyone who has not filed and Answer motion within two days of receiving court summons and a motion for a summary judgment which asks the court to decide that you do owe the lender money.

One important thing to note is that while the bank may continue to file motions with the court, they will not receive a judgment regarding the case until mediation ends. The time allotted for mediation is sixty days although you may petition the court for more time. If you want to stay in your home, then mediation is the best chance you have to getting the bank to modify the terms of your loan so it is important to participate.

The lender will stop foreclosure proceedings if you are able to successfully negotiate with each other during meditation. Otherwise, it will go to Judgment where the court will decide if to give the house to the lender or to order a sale of the home. The decision is mostly dependent on the home’s value in relation to what is owed on the house note.

The Connecticut foreclosure proceedings are pretty straightforward. Until you are actually evicted from your house, you are afforded many opportunities to put a stop to the court case. Use every tool you have at your disposal to successfully keep your home.

About the Author:
Ct foreclosure can be sad, because no one wants to lose their house, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel.. Connecticut foreclosures happen a lot and no one wants to be out of a house, so you should look for some advice.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Steps-Taken-By-Banks-During-The-Connecticut-Foreclosure-Procedure/1003407